Bupa withdraws from MSK contract

Dan Cain

PRIVATE healthcare provider Bupa CSH will not provide musculoskeletal (MSK) services in Coastal West Sussex after withdrawing from the procurement process of a multi-million pound contract.

The decision was made after an independent impact assessment looking at the effect the procurement would have on wider services at Worthing Hospital and St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester, found that the financial position of the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would be worsened if Bupa provided the service.

Peter Lock and Jo Pritchard from Bupa CSH said: “Our priority was to provide high quality and better coordinated care for local patients, and we have worked hard with the CCG to try and find a solution.

“However, the recent impact assessment means we cannot deliver the model we proposed without either compromising on the quality of care or destabilising other services.

“This is disappointing, but we fully support the CCG’s vision to improve MSK care in Coastal West Sussex. We acknowledge that transforming local health systems in these challenging times is extremely difficult for commissioners who want to introduce new care models.

“We remain committed to working in partnership with the NHS and the public sector to deliver high quality health and care services.”

A spokesman for Bupa said the findings of the impact assessment had ‘changed our ability to implement the integrated care service – which we modelled on information available to us during the commissioning process in early 2014 – and means we cannot deliver the model without either compromising on the quality of care or destabilising other local services – neither of which we are prepared to do’.

“This procurement has always had one key driver, improving the care for patients with musculoskeletal problems in Coastal West Sussex. Bupa CSH’s bid was very strong, they echo our patient values and would have been a good partner to work with in Coastal West Sussex.

“The CCG remains committed to improving outcomes for our MSK patients, we need time to discuss the options with our board but expect to be able to outline our next steps shortly.”